Native Americans gave the island its first name and it was owned by several generations of George Mason’s family. A mansion has been on the site since the 1790s but now only ruins remain. The island has been uninhabited since the Masons left, but was occupied by Union troops during the Civil War. In the 1930s landscape architects transformed Mason’s Island from neglected, overgrown farmland into Theodore Roosevelt Island, a memorial to the 26th president.

A National Park Service Cultural Resource Specialist, Brad Krueger will tell the story of this unique piece of land and how it went from farmland, to its role in the Civil War, and ultimately became the memorial to our 26th president. Its miles of foot and bike trails are maintained by the National Park Service and although part of Washington, DC, the island is only accessible from Arlington.

This program is free and open to the public. It is part of a monthly series of public programs sponsored by the Arlington Historical Society. This month’s AHS public program returns to the Arlington Main Public Library auditorium.